Work In Progress 2003

The Princeton Documentary Festival (2003) , under the subtitle Work In Progress, has chosen to focus for its second edition on the documentary as process. Leading filmmakers from Latin America and the United States will be discussing their working methods and their approach to the documentary, in a series of screenings, lectures, panels and workshops.
This year’s festival features guest filmmakers introducing exclusive extracts from their current works in progress, as well as screenings of documentary films that in different ways reflect on their own making. An important new trend in documentary filmmaking acknowledges that a documentary is never simply a report about some reality out there. The work of making a documentary is always part of the experience being documented.

Discussing the work behind the completed films is a way of opening up a discussion about crucial problems in contemporary culture, using the documentary process to illuminate wider issues such as the construction of reality, the role of the witness and the significance of experience and memory. We look forward to an intensive and enjoyable week of work around the documentary.

Direction and Organization

The Princeton Documentary Festival was created to bring attention to the current creative explosion of documentary filmmaking in Latin America and Spain. Through public screenings, commentary and discussions, the festival provides its audience with exceptional, cutting-edge films that would not be otherwise available. The aim is to contribute to a more comprehensive vision of the cultures from which this work springs, while encouraging a more informed debate on the specific topic addressed in each series and on the current state of documentary production.